diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9792139..6c9a018 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -193,6 +193,8 @@ If you do this wrong, you will see a `RoutingMissingException` as elasticsearch
 
 ### Declaring `nested` or `object`
 
+Note that object can autodetect properties
+
     fos_elastica:
         clients:
             default: { host: localhost, port: 9200 }
@@ -213,6 +215,12 @@ If you do this wrong, you will see a `RoutingMissingException` as elasticsearch
                                 properties:
                                     date: { boost: 5 }
                                     content: ~
+                            user:
+                                type: "object"
+                            approver:
+                                type: "object"
+                                properties:
+                                    date: { boost: 5 }
 
 #### Doctrine ORM and `object` mappings
 
diff --git a/Tests/Transformer/ModelToElasticaAutoTransformerTest.php b/Tests/Transformer/ModelToElasticaAutoTransformerTest.php
index d2c181a..646d1a4 100644
--- a/Tests/Transformer/ModelToElasticaAutoTransformerTest.php
+++ b/Tests/Transformer/ModelToElasticaAutoTransformerTest.php
@@ -102,6 +102,11 @@ class POPO
         );
     }
 
+    public function getObj()
+    {
+        return array('foo' => 'foo', 'bar' => 'foo', 'id' => 1);
+    }
+
     public function getUpper()
     {
         return (object) array('id' => 'parent', 'name' => 'a random name');
@@ -272,6 +277,25 @@ class ModelToElasticaAutoTransformerTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
            ), $data['sub']);
     }
 
+    public function testObjectDoesNotRequireProperties()
+    {
+        $transformer = $this->getTransformer();
+        $document    = $transformer->transform(new POPO(), array(
+                'obj' => array(
+                    'type' => 'object'
+                    )
+                ));
+        $data        = $document->getData();
+
+        $this->assertTrue(array_key_exists('obj', $data));
+        $this->assertInternalType('array', $data['obj']);
+        $this->assertEquals(array(
+             'foo' => 'foo', 
+             'bar' => 'foo', 
+             'id' => 1
+           ), $data['obj']);
+    }
+
     public function testParentMapping()
     {
         $transformer = $this->getTransformer();
diff --git a/Transformer/ModelToElasticaAutoTransformer.php b/Transformer/ModelToElasticaAutoTransformer.php
index 6e01907..e960dc5 100644
--- a/Transformer/ModelToElasticaAutoTransformer.php
+++ b/Transformer/ModelToElasticaAutoTransformer.php
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ class ModelToElasticaAutoTransformer implements ModelToElasticaTransformerInterf
 
             $value = $this->propertyAccessor->getValue($object, $key);
 
-            if (isset($mapping['type']) && in_array($mapping['type'], array('nested', 'object'))) {
+            if (isset($mapping['type']) && in_array($mapping['type'], array('nested', 'object')) && isset($mapping['properties'])) {
                 /* $value is a nested document or object. Transform $value into
                  * an array of documents, respective the mapped properties.
                  */